December 10, 2012

Hello my beautiful family!

I got BOTH packages from you this week mom! I loved the St. Nick package and so did my companion. :) She said she has never had such good American chocolate... I'm glad you converted her to our tradition of Orange Chocolates. AND this morning I got my birthday package! Thank you sooooo much! You don't know how much I needed new g’s. I am so lucky to have a family like you guys!!!! I don't know what my new address will be yet, but yes... I am getting transferred... :( I'm so sad! Especially right before Christmas, but I'll be ok.

As for the Christmas packages.... you can send them to our mission office address. They will be collecting all the Christmas packages and handing them out on Christmas Eve at our mission conference. The address is 602 Eldridge Road Sugar Land, Texas 77478.

I'm still not sure about what will be going on Christmas day, but as soon as I know the schedule I'll let you know!

Man, I have so much to tell you from this past week and I don't have much time... but I'll try to fit it all in.

First things first! Paula got baptized on Saturday! It was such a great day. Really, every hard thing from the mission is erased from our minds on days like those. I can't explain the feeling, but its so sweet. As soon as she came out of the water she walked up the stairs to Sister Moreno and me and told us, "I feel so warm and Clean!" She was so happy. And it was great because her two teenage sons came.

Last night we got a call from her and this is what she said, "I just wanted to call and tell you Thank you! You never once gave up on me and you brought me out of the darkness into the light. Thank you for bringing me onto the path that leads me to the celestial kingdom!" If that doesn't make you want to be a missionary I don't know what will. Seriously, a mission is hard. The hardest thing I've done. BUT these experiences make every hard thing worth it. I hope that anyone who is reading this email will want to serve so they can experience this! These people are changing my life more than I'll ever change their and I'm so grateful for it.

I got a taste of what it's going to be like to leave my mission, and I don't like it! I found out when I was on exchanges on Thursday that I am going to be transferred on this Wednesday. I am so bummed. I've been running around to everyone possible to say goodbye, and church yesterday was tough. This ward has been so great to work in. I think we have 10-15 visits with people here before I leave haha!

Speaking of Church yesterday... we got to go into the Primary and speak for a bit in sharing time about missionary work. It was fun to get the kids excited about doing missionary work and preparing to be a missionary one day. We left them with pass along cards to give out to their friends and family who aren't members.

Last week we got to go to the temple on Wednesday! It is always refreshing to go to the temple and take a break from the world.

On Wednesday night we went on our exchanges and I got to go to Sunny Side with Sister Atterton... my trainer! She leaves this week so it was so much fun to serve one more day with her before she leaves. We stayed up a little bit too late talking.... haha whoops!

Sunny Side is the most ghetto place in our mission I'm pretty sure. While I was there I met 2 people who had been apart of the biggest gang in the world and they were telling me all about it. haha I'm crossing my fingers I don't got there!

Oh! Also, last week on tuesday before Paula's baptism Daniel was able to come out teaching with us to her house. Oh man! It was the best lesson EVER! Having a brand new recent convert testifying of truth to someone who will be baptized in just a few days was the coolest thing to sit back and realized how great it is to be a witness of these people coming closer to Christ.

On Saturday night Gona and Sirvan invited us over to their house for dinner before I leave. They prepared us Iranian food. It was really good! I think I say this in every email but It's so fun to see and learn about all the different cultures and religions from all over the world. We taught them a lesson about Faith in Jesus Christ. They have lots of questions. We hope that one day they will open their hearts all the way to be baptized! They shared a lot of the muslim beliefs with us and the muslims are such kind people. I never realized all their standards and what they are striving for.

I know this email is super scattered.... I want to share everything, but I don't have time! I hope this email finds you all doing well! I'll write again next week.

I love you so much!

Erianne